ASBURY, Iowa -- He says he can't mow his lawn for two weeks after 3-plus inches of rainfall.

The water cascades so fiercely out of the culvert under Seippel Road in Asbury that Jim Abitz fears walking out into his front yard.

"You can't imagine the velocity of the water out of that culvert," Abitz said. "It's scary."

Abitz and his two neighbors, Ozzy Larsen and Mike Ready, said they have seen the heavy rains come and the mud creep farther onto their Centura Court properties over the past five years.

All three Asbury residents are calling for more erosion controls in the Seippel Road area.

"We, as neighbors, do not mind the volume of water, however, we are very concerned about the speed and contamination of the current water," Larsen said. "We do mind the dirt coming across."

The city of Asbury's stormwater sewer permit has come into question after a recent inspection by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Kris Lancaster, spokesman for EPA Region 7, told the Telegraph Herald in a Sept. 5 story that an independent contractor conducted a routine inspection of the permit in July. Lancaster said the inspection was "not an investigation," and the agency's visit was not based on any complaints from the public.

The EPA's viewpoint stands in contrast with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which says it has received several complaints from residents about the city's lack of enforcement of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit at construction sites.

The city is required to inspect construction sites at least once each calendar year, according to its permit.

The residents said they have approached the city and the DNR for several years about the runoff situation.

The origin of the problem, they say, began when the first phase of the Arrowhead housing development sprouted up to the west of their neighborhood.

"The water that used to flow south and east now flows north, and all of the water from Arrowhead is coming to that point right there," said Ready, pointing to the retention basin across Seippel Road from their properties.

Larry McDermott, of McDermott Excavating, the developer of the subdivision, could not be reached for comment Friday.

Larsen co-owns two ponds in the Centura Court neighborhood, one behind his property and another he splits with Ready. Larsen said the pond behind his home is not usable for up to a week after heavy rains, as mud piles up from the bottom.

"It's to the point where it's filling up my pond," Larsen said.

Ready, who has lived at his property in Centura Court for 25 years, said the runoff water travels from the retention basin all the way to his backyard and has ruined some of his pine trees. He estimates Seippel Road is about 400 feet from his backyard.

All three residents said they have made frequent requests for the issue to be resolved.

"We weren't getting much response (from the city) until the EPA got involved," Larsen said.

Asbury City Administrator Beth Bonz declined comment for this story, deferring all questions to Mayor Jim Adams. Adams could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.

As of Friday, the TH, per its request on Sept. 2, had not received copies of written complaints to Asbury City Hall. The complaints are public documents.